Less Dairy Diet

Hi - how about veggie hot dogs for lunch...they are actually meatless, but packed with veggies and protein, taste just like the real thing. No nitrates and very soft, good finger food.

I make French Toast with soy milk and extra soy protein powder, plus eggs to make a thick batter. I use whole grain bread which adds fiber. If you add cinnamon, it adds a sweet flavor without sugar. The brown color even disguises the whole grain bread. If you have to, start with white bread and sprinkle cinnamon on the slice once it's in the skillet, then flip the slice. Then you can graduate to that white wheat bread - looks white but has more whole grain - and then move up to whole wheat. I use bread with "holes" in it so more protein-filled batter soaks in. I like Stop & Shop's Nature's Promise Flax & Grain, but if that has too much crunchy stuff in it for your daughter, use any whole wheat bread.

I also make whole grain pancakes - use any whole wheat pancake recipe but you can add in soy flour and flax seed for more protein and fiber. I put in oatmeal too, and I use soy milk. You can put in fruit too - blueberries or apples or canned pears or whatever she will eat. This sets up great eating habits for later on.

My son devours this stuff. Even if you put maple syrup on it (which he does), what's the big deal if there's all that nutrition?

I also save the cooking water when I steam vegetables - it's full of vitamins. I freeze it, and then use that good "green" water to make rice and couscous, anything that absorbs all the water. Don't waste it on pasta where you throw most of the water away. Also, try switching your daughter to whole grain pasta. YOu can try the soy-based cheeses too, but if you add more whole grains, the dairy cheese you are using won't cause so much of a constipation problem.

Good luck!
Good luck!

Hi A.,

I have found the perfect cure for constipation. Ground flax seed mini muffins. http://www.spiffyman.com/recipes-super-flax-muffins.html
My favorite is the blueberry almond. Instead of making them full size I use the mini-muffin pan. I leave about a dozen out to eat and share fresh and lay the rest on a baking sheet in the freezer. When they are frozen through I put them in a zipper freezer bag, suck out the air and keep them in the freezer until needed. About 10 minutes on the counter or 10-15 seconds in the microwave and they are good to eat. The flax seed gives you more bran than oatmeal and reduces your bad cholesterol better as well.

Good luck to your family,
D. C

I am having the same problem right now - so I'll be interested in seeing what other mothers respond to you with! But here's my 2 cents:

My daughter (just turned 1 last week) has refused baby food for about a month now so I was forced to find foods to please her. For breakfasts, I buy cans of fruit cocktail packed in pear juice (make sure the can says no added sugar) and mix that in with her morning oatmeal, some apple sauce or yogurt, and she loves that. I'll also give her an occasional banana. I tried scrambling some eggs for her but she'll have nothing to do with eggs. But I'll give her some toast for breakfast too, putting on a tad of butter or a little bit of jelly.

For lunches, aside from grilled cheese, she loves jelly sandwiches (I use sugar free), and pasta salad, I will buy spiral pasta, and cook it and mix in some Italian dressing and cucumbers (she only has four teeth, but the cukes soften up pretty easily). She also just took to corn on the cob! I cook up a few cobs and then break them in half and store them in the fridge and she will gnaw on them for a good 10-15 minutes and the corn is small enough that if she swallows it whole it won't choke her. Those are good too for dinner, keeps her busy while we as a family!

I am looking for new ideas because I hate giving her the same foods all the time, but as long as she's eating something the doctor says she'll be fine!

Good luck!
L.

For breakfast when my daughter was younger i would buy the nutri grain waffels and pancakes and instead of syrup i would put the Gerber fruit baby food on them. She loved it and it was good for her. As she got older i put the fruit in a little tiny bowl on the side of her plate and let her dip them herself. She was thrilled and loved being able to do it herself. Hope this helps!

I gave my daughter soy milk w/ cheerios in a bowl & spoon (takes them a while but its a great way for them to learn), french toast sticks, mini pancakes, oatmeal and fruit and juice. Lunch is soups or lunch meats w/ cheese and crackers, sometimes fruits and milk. Dinner is whatever I make, she prefers rice, pasta, chicken and fish. I make everything w/ regular food, no baby food, and cut it up so she can use her fingers.

Hi A.
There are many, many soy/rice products on the market now to substitute for dairy. I would get enriched rice milk for her to drink and then get a variety of soy or rice cheeses, yogurts and tofu for her to try. I agree with the other poster about the yogurt. Definitely keep as much of that in her diet as possible. The probiotics in yogurt help keep her digestive tract in proper working order. You can switch her to soy yogurt. There are lots of great flavors out there to choose from. Road's End is a company that makes great mac and cheeze that is non dairy and they also make dry cheeze mixes that you can use for pizza and sandwiches. They smell a little funky for the first time user but that's just the nutritional yeast that they use to make the cheezy taste. There are lots of dairy free cookbooks out there. Get one and try some of the recipes. You'll be surprised at how good they are.

Hello A.,
If you daughter is partial to the texture of the dairy products you might try soy products in place of the dairy. something like soy yogurt, cheese etc would be a great protein sub for her. it may seem like she is still eating the same foods which will be a comfort to her, but you will know that you are giving her different choices. Does she eat egg products yet? if she is you could do a scrambled egg fritata or quiche which you could put just about anything in chopped in tiny pieces. Good luck,

I also have a 1yr old that is transitioning from baby food to table food. I have the opposite trouble. He poops ALL THE TIME! He loves fruits and veggies and they are just as easy to give to them.... especially strawberries & blueberries which are great finger foods. I give him raisin toast dry or sometimes with a little jelly on it. He's a great eater though and would never turn any food away. I'll have to start giving him more dairy to see if I can cause the binding effect on him... consider yourself lucky!

Good luck,

M. L

The first thing I did when I had to take dairy out of our diets was switch to vanilla rice dream (rice milk). This is an easy substitution, but Does Not help with constipation. Apples and bananas, although fruits, can make constipation worse.
I have one who only poops once every few days. Getting better though. For breakfast I recommend peanut butter on just about anything. With your kids so young, you probably want to look into almond nut butter or some other alternative. My boys love fresh fruit on pancakes - no butter and no syrup. If you heat up the fruit and mush it a bit, it spreads easier.
Oatmeal can be very filling, try thinning it out with some water or pureed fruit.
Fresh fruit for breakfast is always wonderful. My problem was trying to find replacements for the whole fat and the protein they miss out on when you take out dairy. I started adding a very small amount of flax seed oil to their mushiest food. It's a great whole fat and helps the constipation a bit.
Pureed cauliflower or mashed potatoes are great if you replace the milk and butter with chicken broth.
There are some great books out there. Look under Allergy Cookbooks in Amazon. You should be able to find some great ideas.

Hi Anne,
I have a 14 month old boy. He loves his milk and yogurt too! I limit his milk intake to after he eats some of his meal, otherwise he fills up on the milk. Also I have noticed that he does not eat a lot for breakfast or lunch but will eat a good dinner, children will eat what they need, we just need to offer the healthy things to them,For breakfast, I give him yogurt(usually only for breakfast) and fruit and toast (dry or with butter, occasionally with a little jelly)He also loves pancakes and waffles I don't give him syrup he likes it dry. He will occassionally eat oatmeal or rice cereal,the kind I would eat not for babies.(he never ate baby cereal very well) When i give him that he will eat most of what I give him. For quite a while when i would offer him veggie,(regular vegies and food) he would squish them and not eat them, but after about 10 or so times offering it to him he would eat it. It is a new texture for them and it takes them a while to get used to it, He also just recently began to eat peaces of pasta with spagetti sauce, he loves cherries(of course I cut them so they do not have the pit and are bite size for him.)He won't touch watermelon or peaches or strawberries. for lunches I give him soups, or left over dinner from the night before, especally if he liked it. I also will give him peaces of bread , cheese(chedder or Mozzerella sticks), and lunch meat with fruit for lunch. Dinner he always eats what ever I make for the rest of the family. I just cut it smaller for him so he can eat it. He loves pulled pork or pulled chicken, or any meat that has been cooked in the crock pot because it is usually softer for them to eat. he also loves shepherds pie. and sweet potatoes diced up are always a go for him. He even likes baked beans or beans and rice. Another thing is toddler are very picky, they can love something one day and not touch it the next, so I always feel like i have to keep something extra on hand for him just in case. so I know that he is getting a good amount of various foods. I also started to give him vitamins after I transitioned him from formula to milk, I just feel better that he is getting what he needs from the vitamins even if he isn't from food. Plus he was getting sick a lot so I wanted to make sure he was getting what he needed.I hope this helps you with some ideas for food.
D.

Hi A.,
My little guy turns one this week. He likes cooked egg yolk, homemade pancakes, whole grain mini waffles (Earth's Best makes them) nectarines, mangoes (we also just discovered yellow mangoes which are a little sweeter), etc. for fruit. I was struggling with the lunch thing too... We have recently tried veggie burgers which seem to be a hit! I also save some leftovers for lunch like turkey meatballs (no sauce), hamburgers, steak tips! The low salt ham steaks that are 6-7 in a pkg can be vaccuum sealed and then cooked on the stove top for a quick meal, too! Frozen veggies like peas and green beans can also be heated quickly. Good luck!

I wouldnt back off the yogurt it is actually good for their digestive systems. Maybe try just to give milk w/ meals

I cannot drink milk and drink Silk Vanilla Soy Milk, I have used it in Mac n Cheese and none of the kids were the wiser (served to 4 kids, 1 mine) your daughter should like it as it is sweet..they also have Baby Soy yougurt.

There are a lot of options..good luck

Hello A.!
Try giving her grapes! Our daughter loves them and seem to keep her 'going'!
Good luck!
L.

My daughter was frequently constipated (she also loves her dairy) and loved pureed prunes. A little goes a long way and she now eats prunes to help her stay regular.

I remember when my kids were babies. especially with the first, I lived by the "Super Baby food" book. It's a bit over the top here and there, but gives lots of good ideas of what to try, avoid, etc... believe it or not, my child would eat tofu cut up in little pieces with a sprinkle of cinnamon! Or cut up an avacado and just let him pick it up and try... of course apple sauce, peaches, healthy crackers... cereal as finger food rather than in a bowl. they'll drink their milk anyway!
Good luck!